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• Raleigh looking for answers
• Vols get an earful from coaches after latest loss
• Davis' heroics can't save Vols

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AUBURN, Ala. - The Tennessee baseball team had plenty of opportunities in Friday's series opener at Auburn.

The Vols just couldn't take advantage of them. Defensive miscues, offensive misses and plain old bad luck cost UT in Friday's 12-6 loss.

"I thought the game was closer than it was," UT first-year coach Todd Raleigh said. "We gave them too many runs in the beginning of the game.

"We made too many mistakes early on to win."

Tennessee starter Steve Crnkovich (4-2) caught the brunt of the bad luck. The sophomore allowed eight runs - four earned - in just four innings.

When Crnkovich left after the fourth, the Vols trailed 8-3.

But Tennessee (15-8, 4-3 SEC) fought back. Reliever Joey Rosas threw three scoreless innings, and the Vols' offense got back into the game. Shawn Griffin hit a two-run home run in the fourth, and UT scored three more runs in the sixth to cut Auburn's lead to 8-6 in the eighth.

In the eighth, UT's Jarred Frazier reached on an error, then moved to third on Griffin's single. With runners on the corners and one out, Raleigh wanted to avoid a double play.

Guessing correctly that Auburn reliever Bryan Woodall would throw a 1-2 breaking ball to Danny Lima, Raleigh told Griffin - who represented the tying run - to steal second.

But Lima swung and missed at the pitch, and Auburn's Ryan Jenkins narrowly threw Griffin out at second to end the inning. It was another missed opportunity; Raleigh could only shake his head.

"Every run counts," he said. "We just have to come ready to play."

Auburn (17-9, 3-4) put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the inning.

For Raleigh, Friday's result was too familiar. The Vols lost their series opener at Georgia last weekend, 6-2. In both games, Raleigh thought his players lacked energy.

"I'm trying to figure it out," he said. "It seems like we get here Thursday night and we sit around in our hotel all day.

"I don't know that that has anything to do with it - I don't know."

The series continues today at 4 p.m. with left-hander Bryan Morgado (3-2, 1.82 ERA) starting for UT against Auburn lefty Cory Luckie (3-2, 2.55).

"We'll be ready tomorrow," Raleigh said.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.